This invention relates to copolymers of lactones and ether lactones, and, more particularly, to copolymers of .epsilon.-caprolactone with 1,5-dioxepan-2-one. The copolymers of the present invention are characterized by significantly lower melting points than comparable homopolymers of polycaprolactone, making such copolymers particularly desirable for use in temperature sensitive applications such as forming medical casts for broken bones.
The copolymers of the present invention can be processed into fibers, films and sheets. The fibers are characterized by having significantly higher elongation and tensile strength values than comparable homopolymers of caprolactone. Such fibers are useful as surgical sutures and in a variety of other textile and medical applications.
Homopolymers and various copolymers of caprolactone are well-known in the art. Monomers of 1,5-dioxepan-2-one and their utility for the production of polymers which can be used in resins, fibers, plastics, adhesives and surface coatings are also known as disclosed, for example, in British Pat. No. 1,272,733. The specific copolymers of the present invention and the novel properties thereof have not, however, been suggested in the prior art.